The Dragon Sannin
by rasengan86
Summary: With the world ending thanks to Akatsuki, the Kyuubi attempts to bring Naruto to the past. But there was a mistake & now Naruto finds himself the fourth member of the team who will become The Legendary Sannin. How will he change the future? TsuNaru
1. Chapter 1

**The Dragon Sannin**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

**Kyuubi Speech: "speech"**

**Thinking: '**_speech_

**Kyuubi Thoughts: _'speech'_**

* * *

As Uzumaki Naruto was on his way back to Konoha he felt the ground beneath him begin to quake. The quakes became more violent until fissures were formed in the Earth. Off in the distance he felt an explosion of foul, malevolent chakra. Being a jinchuuriki, Naruto was easily able to identify the feel of demonic chakra.

"**I take it you can feel the brat."** Came a voice form inside Naruto's head.

"I doubt there is anyone in the Elemental Countries that can't. Kyuubi what the hell is going on here?" Asked Naruto.

The Kyuubi replied with simply one word, **"Akatsuki."**

"WHAT?"

"**What you are feeling brat, is the chakra of all of the bijuu excluding myself being released at once"** replied the Kyuubi in a somber tone.

"Shit, well I've got to get back to Konoha and see what Baa-chan wants to do…"

"**It doesn't matter kid,'** said the Kyuubi interrupting his container, **"seeing as the world will be destroyed."**

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT KYUUBI?" shouted Naruto inside his head.

As if in response to Naruto's question the quakes became even more violent than they had been minutes before: forests were destroyed, villages burned and mountains crumbled to the ground.

"**Somehow the bijuu Akatsuki captured were released. Demonic chakra is far more potent than your pitiful human variety as you well know. Your world can not handle such an amount of demonic chakra being released all at once. And as such this world has begun tearing itself apart."**

Naruto fell to his knees after hearing this, the information hit him with more force than any of Tsunade's punches. Everyone was going to die…himself included, it didn't even occur to him to see if the Kyuubi had been lying. Somehow, deep down, he knew the great fox demon was telling the truth.

'_Iruka-sensei, Ayame, Ichiraku-ojisan, Kakashi-sensei, Yamato-sensei, Kurenai-sensei, Gai-sensei, Lee, Kiba, Shino, Chouji, Neji, Ino, Shikamaru, Tenten, Anko-san, Temari, Gaara, Hanabi, Sai, Baa-chan, Ero-Sennin, Sakura-chan and…Hinata-chan.'_

As his thoughts rested on his girlfriend, his heart felt like it would rip in two when he thought about her dying. They saw when you're about to die you see your life flash before your eyes: well Naruto flashed back to the events that led to him and Hinata getting together.

* * *

Just over one year ago, Team 7 had their final reunion with their long lost teammate, and it was an encounter that Uchiha Sasuke did not survive. 

A small group of Konoha ninja had launched an assault one a compound of the Snake Sannin Orochimaru. While Jiraiya, Tsunade, Kakashi and Yamato dealt with Orochimaru and Kabuto, Naruto and Sakura were left to deal with Sasuke.

He was furious when Naruto told him that he had already killed Itachi and that Orochimaru kept it from him. Sasuke retaliated to running his **Kusanagi** (Grass Cutter) through the one person that loved him more than life itself, Haruno Sakura.

Luckily the wound wasn't fatal and Sai was able to deal with the wound. However the fact that Sasuke had tried to kill Sakura sent Naruto over the edge and he finally went all out and threw their friendship out the window.

And when everything was said and done, **Fuuton: Rasengan** (Wind Release: Spiraling Sphere) is infinitely more powerful than** Chidori** (Thousand Birds). So it was that Naruto had finished what Itachi had started, the Uchiha clan was wiped off the Earth forever.

Afterwards Sakura quit as a shinobi and fell into a deep depression. She shut herself off from everybody for three whole months. Naruto assumed that Sakura hated him for killing Sasuke and began to fall into depression himself. But throughout all the aftermath of Sasuke's death, Hinata was there for him.

Within a few weeks Naruto came to terms with what happened and was back to his usual self. Hinata and Naruto continued to spend lots of time together and a month later Naruto fulfilled one of Hinata's greatest desires: Hinata got her first kiss from Naruto. And aside from the protests of the Hyuuga Elders (whom were quickly dealt with by Tsunade) it had been smooth sailing ever since.

* * *

Tears started to form in Naruto's eyes but sadness was quickly replaced with unbridled fury towards those responsible for the founding of Akatsuki: Konan, Pein and Uchiha Madara. But there were other things to deal with at the moment so he quickly pushed those thoughts out of his head. He then asked the Kyuubi probably the most important question of his life. 

"Hey Kyuubi…is there anything we could do to fix this?"

The Kyuubi was silent for a moment and Naruto waited for its answer rather than yell and scream as he was known for.

"**Well brat…there is something we could try. But it is incredibly dangerous and will most likely result in both our deaths."**

As if sensing what Naruto was about to ask, the Kyuubi answered before Naruto could even ask the question.

"**Time travel"**

"Baka-fox, everybody knows that time travel is impossible." Claimed Naruto angrily

"**It is impossible for you humans and yet that hasn't stopped you from trying for generations,"** said the Kyuubi with disdain,**" However there is a demonic technique that allows travel through time. The problem however lies in the fact the you are not a demon and there is not enough time to properly prepare the technique."**

"So what does that mean then?"

"**Well even if you are a mere human, knowing you that would prove to be no problem. However the technique entails a complicated set of seals drawn on the ground in concentric circles…which we don't have time to do properly. Basically since the seals will be incomplete we will probably both die."** Said the Kyuubi seriously

"Well you know me Kyuubi," said Naruto to his tenant, "I've been defying the odds all my life…let's do it."

Inside his cage the Kyuubi began carving out a series of seals with his claws. But time was of the essence and many of the seal circles were improperly aligned, while others were left incomplete.

'_**I sure hope this works because I have no intentions of passing to the afterlife with this gaki.'**_

Within minutes the Kyuubi had drawn in all the seals he thought he had time for. Naruto notes that the sky had turned blood red and the severity of the earthquakes continued to increase…he also noted a faint orange glow coming from the direction of Konoha.

"**Alright brat we're as ready as we're gonna be. So first I'm going to pour my chakra into the seals to activate them. Then I am going to force out as much of my chakra as I can through the seal to hopefully create a tear in time. Hopefully this will work and we won't end up dead."**

"Well let's get this show on the road then." Said Naruto.

"**One thing before I start, since the seals are incomplete, I have no idea where we will end up in the past if this works. Oh…and this will hurt worse than anything you have ever experienced."**

Naruto was about to respond to the Kyuubi when suddenly he felt the Kyuubi release more of it's chakra than ever before. And true to his word, Naruto found himself in more pain than he ever thought humanly possible. It felt like his entire body was burning from the inside out.

Demonic chakra seemed to just spring forth from Naruto and erupt into the sky. Naruto was in so much pain that he just wanted it all to end. Suddenly he noticed something odd in front of him, it looked like the space in front of him was beginning to tear.

Slowly but surely the tear began to get wider and wider, until it was about three times as tall as Naruto. Inside the tear there was a swirling mass of multicolored energy.

'_Just hang on for a few more seconds kid, almost done.'_

Suddenly the energy expanded outward and completely enveloped Naruto, he felt himself being pulled forward into the tear and then everything went blank.

* * *

(Inside Naruto's Mindscape) 

The unconscious form of Kazama Uzumaki Naruto was face down in front of the Kyuubi's cage. Slowly he began to stir and push himself up to a sitting position.

"**Now that you are awake brat welcome to the past"** said the Kyuubi

"What you mean it actually worked? We're not dead?" Naruto asked the Kyuubi eagerly.

"**No brat we are not dead," **replied the Kyuubi while snickering, **"However there are a few complications: first off we are much farther back than we should be, decades before you were born. I am not certain exactly how far, but luckily we are only a mile or two from Konoha so it won't be too hard to find out."**

After spending 17 years with the Kyuubi Naruto could say that he knew the fox pretty well. Years of deception and plots to gain freedom had granted Naruto unique insight to the demon. So he knew there was something the Kyuubi wasn't telling him.

"Well at least I'm alive, I'll deal with the other stuff when I make it to Konoha. So how about you tell me whatever it is you're trying to keep from me."

The Kyuubi bared his fangs in what could be considered a sly grin. Indeed he found it increasingly more difficult to keep things from his vessel over the years.

"**You're not as dumb as you look anymore brat. It seems that somehow the time travel process has separated us…I am finally free from you."**

A look of pure terror washed over Naruto as he began to consider the implications of what this could mean. Although the two had gotten along better in recent years Naruto knew that the Kyuubi would still devour him and probably destroy Konoha if given the chance.

"**Ahh…the beautiful stench of fear, you don't know how long I've waited to see you fear me brat. But lucky for you I won't be sticking around to devour you."**

"What the hell do you mean?" asked Naruto, "From the first day I met you it's been one day I will free myself from this prison and devour you blah blah blah."

"**Indeed, normally I would seriously consider devouring you but there is no need for that. I can feel my soul gradually leaving your body and merging with my own body in this time. After the process is complete it seems I will be returning to Demon World. So I suppose you and your village lucked out."** Stated the Kyuubi simply.

Realization slowly washed over Naruto's face, "So you mean…"

"**Yes, you won't have to worry about me stopping by the day you are born as I will be leaving this world permanently. Just don't ask me how a doorway to my world is opening or why we're being separated. I couldn't begin to tell you."**

'_I don't believe it…I'm gonna be normal, nobody calling me demon brat, no Akatsuki coming after me. I'll just be Naruto, plain and simple.'_

"**So as you know overtime our chakras have been merging, and as such the healing properties I have granted you over the years will remain once I am gone. And as you know due to this you will live longer and age slower than most humans. But I wanted to leave you with one more parting gift so to speak."**

Suddenly Kyuubi's claws shot out from between the bars and one impaled Naruto right through the seal. Suddenly a spiraling column of demonic chakra erupted from Naruto's body.

Once again Naruto felt like he was on fire, but he noticed that the chakra slowly went from being red, to a purple color, and then it began to turn blue and be absorbed into his body.

Again Naruto lost consciousness due to the pain. Gradually, the Kyuubi began to fade from sight.

"**Well brat it's been pretty interesting. Don't take this the wrong way but I hope we never meet again as long as we live."** Said the Kyuubi before he, along with the cage that had once contained him faded completely.

* * *

When Naruto regained consciousness he found himself in a bed staring at a white ceiling. 

'_Damnit, I would recognize the Konoha Hospital no matter what time I'm in.'_Naruto thought to himself while groaning slightly

"Well young man, I see that you have finally woken up." Spoke a voice that Naruto found vaguely familiar.

Slowly Naruto sat up in his bed and turned towards the door to his room to see who it was that had spoken to him. When he finally saw who it was his eyes went wide with shock. Granted he was much, much younger than he was in Naruto's time, but he could recognize this person anywhere.

"Oji-san is that you?" asked Naruto weakly.

Standing in the doorway of Naruto's hospital room was indeed Sarutobi, but going from what Naruto remembered from history lessons, the Sarutobi before him was in his prime.

Naruto heard someone chuckle from behind Sarutobi before speaking, "Well Saru, this boys lack of respect aside, he seems to recognize you."

As Sarutobi stepped aside Naruto's eyes went even wider if that was possible as a figure stepped into the room that Naruto had only seen pictures of. In front of him was the man who had helped his older brother establish **Konohagakure no Sato **(The Village Hidden in the Leaves).

Standing in front of Naruto was the Nidaime Hokage.

* * *

**A/N: **Well here it is, the first chapter of The Dragon Sannin. So yes, Naruto is back during the time of the Nidaime Hokage and will become the fourth member of Team Sarutobi. I realize that Sannin will be an inaccurate title since it means three shinobi & yes as the title suggests Naruto will summon dragons…but I'll get to all that later on. 

As for the gift Kyuubi left Naruto with, that will be addressed within the next few chapters. I'm debating as to what Naruto should tell Sarutobi and the Nidaime…should he give them the complete story or the condensed version?

Coming up next: Naruto's explanation as to where he came from & his introduction to Team 7. (I dunno if that what team the Sannin where but it seemed appropriate since Team Yondaime didn't stay complete & then Team Kakashi lost a member as well…sort of like a curse)

Anyways I have some great things planned for this story that I think you'll love. As always….read & review


	2. Chapter 2

**The Dragon Sannin**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

**Kyuubi Speech: "speech"**

**Thinking: **'_speech'_

**Kyuubi Thoughts: _'speech'_**

* * *

'_Holy shit'_

That was the only thought going through Naruto's head as he looked right at a young Sarutobi and the Nidaime Hokage. When the Kyuubi said there was no telling how far back he might end up, this was definitely not what he had in mind. That line of though led Naruto to notice that his mind felt a bit less crowded than usual.

'_Wait a minute…where the hell is the Kyuubi?'_

For someone so used to having another presence inside of his head, the inability to contact the Kyuubi alarmed him for a moment. Then he remembered the Kyuubi telling him that should the technique be successful, they would be forever separated.

The voice of the Nidaime however pulled Naruto from his thoughts.

"Well I'm glad to see you are up and about…"

Naruto couldnt help but hesitate briefly when the Nidaime asked for his name.

_'Crap, what am I gonna do? I can't take the name Uzumaki because **Uzu no Kuni **(Whirpool Country) and my mother's family are still around in this time. But I can't call myself Namikaze Naruto because when Ero-Sennin takes his team people might see **him** and think I'm my own father.'_

So Naruto did what he always does in situations like this, he did what he does best...he acted on instinct and made something up.

"Naruto, Kazama Naruto." Replied the blond.

"Well allow me to introduce myself, I am the Nidaime Hokage, the leader of **Konohagakure no **Sato (Village Hidden in The Leaves) and this is my former student Sarutobi. Now that you're awake Naruto I hope you are well enough to tell us a few things about you."

Naruto nodded and the Nidaime took this as a sign to continue, "You see a strange flash of light was reported early this morning near the training grounds. This light was followed by a massive surge of chakra, and then you were found by Sarutobi where the chakra surge was reported. And he found you with these…"

The Nidaime held out his hand and showed Naruto the necklace Tsunade had given to him as well as the remains of his hitai-ite.

Naruto was at a loss, he had just assumed he would end up at some point in his past, not decades before even his father was born.

'_I always assumed that I would have to explain a few things to oji-san. He would know I was lying but would still trust me anyway.'_

He was at a crossroads: he cold either tell the truth about what had happened and be declared insane or he could lie.

Tough decision

"I came from a small village near the borders of Fire Country, I came to Konoha in hopes of becoming a shinobi." Said Naruto hoping the two men would just accept what he was telling them.

"Did you now?" said the Nidaime while smiling, "Well I will assume you have had previous training then. However you will still have to be tested. You will be released from the hospital today, and an aspiring shinobi will need some equipment."

At this Sarutobi tossed Naruto a small pouch that was filled with money along with a scroll with an address, "That scroll is the address of the hotel you will be staying at for now. Use the money to buy some clothes and equipment, then meet me at Training Ground 13 in three hours."

* * *

As Naruto walked through the streets of Konoha it was becoming clearer and clearer that this was not _his_ Konoha. Nobody was looking at him like it was a crime simply for him to be breathing. Some shop owners were even greeting him as he walked down the street. He was simply a newcomer to the village. 

The biggest reminder that he was no longer in his time was when he walked to Ichiraku Ramen out of habit only to discover that it wasn't there. He remembered that Techui was younger than the Sandaime in his time, which would make him even younger than Naruto was right now.

'_Ichiraku Ramen won't exist for decades.'_ Thought Naruto to himself as tears welled up in his eyes.

After observing a moment of silence for the 'loss' of Ichiraku Ramen, Naruto decided to eat at a BBQ place before going to buy some clothes and supplies. Finishing his lunch Naruto entered a shinobi supply store, but he was a bit unsure what to buy as far as clothing.

He was no longer a Chuunin so the traditional Konoha shinobi outfit he wore in the future was out. But he had finally realized that orange was not an appropriate color for a shinobi, so going back to one of his two orange jumpsuits was also out.

He finally decided on black shinobi sandals along with standard black shinobi pants with ankle wrappings. And the outfit was completed with a form fitting mesh undershirt and a black gi with silver along the lapels and color. As with everything Naruto wore, he had a red spiral sewn on the back of his gi.

After ordering a few extra copies of his outfit he also bout a fully stocked supply pouch, two sets of kunai and shuriken with holsters, exploding tags as well as a small kanji brush as well as ink and blank scrolls.

Confident he had everything he would need Naruto paid for his purchases. As he was about to leave a set of weight bands caught his eye, he used the last of the money he had to purchase the weights before deciding to find his hotel room.

Once Naruto found his hotel room, he proceeded to get ready to meet Sarutobi later. As he finished getting ready he put the rest of his purchases away before realizing he was already 10 minutes late.

Suddenly a brief memory a certain grey haired sensei of his flashed through his mind and he smirked.

'_Maybe I'll try it just once. Just to see why Kakashi-sensei enjoyed doing it so much.'_

* * *

(30 minutes later) 

'_Where in the world could he be?'_

This was the thought going through Sarutobi's mind as he continued to wait for Naruto, who was already 40 minutes late. What kind of aspiring shinobi would be late to their own Genin Exam? He was pulled from these thoughts as a certain blond finally arrived at the training ground.

"Yo"

"Naruto where have you been?" asked Sarutobi in a somewhat annoyed tone, "You are 40 minutes late."

"Sorry about that, I got lost on the road of life." Said Naruto, perfectly mimicking the trademark excuse of his former…or rather future sensei.

The man who would become the Sandaime Hokage sweat dropped upon hearing Naruto's ridiculous excuse for his lateness.

"Well now that he's here Saru, I guess we can get started." Said an amused Nidaime Hokage as he emerged from the forest.

So the two shinobi took Naruto through the various portions of the Genin Exam. They were quite impressed, with the exception of his above average ranking with genjutsu, he performed exceptionally in all other areas.

'_Had he been at the academy he might have beat out Orochimaru for Rookie of The Year.'_ Thought Sarutobi to himself.

All that was left now was the ninjutsu exam.

"Alright Naruto you've done a great job so far, all that's left is the ninjutsu portion of the exam. You will have to perform **Kawarimi **(Substitution)**, Bushin** (Clone Technique) and **Henge **(Transformation)." Explained Sarutobi.

Without missing a beat Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke, and in his place was a log. He then emerged from the forest just behind where they were all standing.

"As for **Bushin** (Clone Technique), I've always been unable to properly perform that jutsu, but…" Naruto formed a familiar cross shaped seal and cried out **"Kage Bushin no Jutsu** (Shadow Clone).**"**

Another Naruto suddenly popped into existence right next to the original and grinned at the Hokage and future Hokage in front of him.

'_He can perform **Kage Bushin**, who in the world is this boy?'_ were the thoughts of the two as they looked at Naruto in awe.

"W-well done Naruto, now finally please perform a **Henge** (Transformation)."

A sinister grin appeared on Naruto's face, the two didn't quite understand why but for some reason that grin filled them with fear. But before either could figure out why…

"**Orioke: Onn no ko Doushi no Jutsu (**Double Knockout Girls Technique)**"**

There was a puff of smoke and when it cleared Sarutobi and the Nidaime were not ready for what they saw.

In front of them were two 19 year old girls with pigtails. But what really caught their attention was the fact that both girls were very shapely…and VERY nude.

They never had a chance.

"Aaahhhhh!"

Both men screamed as they were propelled backwards into a tree, thanks to the stream of blood coming from each of their noses. They both slid down the tree and slipped into unconsciousness with lecherous grins on their faces.

Suddenly the girls vanished and left behind an extremely amused looking Naruto.

'_Geez maybe I should have used **Orioke no Jutsu** instead, my ultimate perverted technique might have been too much for them.'_

It took a few minutes but the two eventually recovered. Needless to say Naruto passed the exam with flying colors. The new black hitai-ite around his forehead marked Naruto as a shinobi of Konoha.

"Well Naruto congratulations on becoming a Konoha Genin," said the Hokage, "You can meet your team tomorrow morning, 8 o'clock at training ground 7."

"Alright then, see you old guys later." Said Naruto as he turned to leave.

"Oh and Naruto," said the Hokage to his newest shinobi, "That technique and any other hentai jutsu of yours are all now S-ranked forbidden jutsu."

* * *

(Naruto's Hotel Room) 

After he had left the training grounds, Naruto went to eat some dinner and then went straight back to his hotel where he was left alone to his thoughts, and then it hit him.

He was all alone…again.

He tried to tell himself over and over that they hadn't died, rather that they had not been born yet. But it was all the same to him…alone was alone.

The life that he had in Konoha was gone forever. Eventually Kazama Naruto would be born, he would have a happy childhood, a mother and father who loved him. Everyone in Konoha would respect him as the son of the Yondaime; eventually he would follow in his father's footsteps and become a shinobi.

One day he might even fall in love with Hyuuga Hinata, and while Kazama Naruto could grow up and do these things it wouldn't be _him_.

Try as he might, Naruto couldn't stop the tears from falling. Suddenly, he realized that this wasn't going to fix anything.

'_I'm always saying that I would do anything for my precious people aren't I? Sitting here bitching and moaning isn't going to fix anything. I have a chance to change things in the past so their future will be different. So what if I'll have to sit back and watch?'_

His old life was gone, and he would have to come to terms with that because that life would belong to someone else. However, even though his old life was gone that didn't mean that he couldn't make a new one here, in this time.

As the thoughts in his head started taking a more positive turn, Naruto drifted off to sleep.

* * *

(Hokage's Office) 

Konoha was a relatively new shinobi village, but even so the Nidaime Hokage was already becoming somewhat of a legend. He had helped found Konoha with his older brother. And he was feared in battle due to his Raiijin blade and his ability to use Suiton jutsu without a water source.

As great a warrior as he was, the greatest enemy of all Kage's managed to defeat him every time…paperwork. It was an unrelenting enemy that never diminished and had an infinite number of allies.

So when Sarutobi came into his office he was very grateful for the distraction.

"Busy with paperwork again I see Hokage-sama."

"Saru how many times must I tell you that it is not necessary to address me that way?" said the Nidaime jokingly, "Now I assume you've come with a report."

"Yes sensei, we have pushed the enemy back deeper into their territory than we had anticipated. They have also suffered significant loses."

"Hmmm," said the Hokage thoughtfully as he stroked his chin, "It appears that we can finally put an end to all this bloodshed. Have another battalion ready to move out with me tomorrow morning. Hopefully we can convince them to sign a treaty rather than be forced to destroy them."

"Do you really mean to do it after this war is over sensei?"

"Yes, I think the end of a war is a fitting time for change. The next generation is ready to take over, besides Saru; I think you'll make a fine Hokage. You are already known throughout the shinobi world as "The Professor" and "The God of Shinobi" and most importantly you would do anything to protect your village and its people."

Sarutobi was happy that his former sensei had so much faith in him. He had been selected to become the Sandaime Hokage over his major rival for the position Danzou.

"I'll try my hardest to live up to you and the Shodaime's faith in me. Now what about Naruto?" asked Sarutobi.

"Well the fact he was lying about where he came from aside, he seems to be highly skilled as a shinobi. Should he prove to be loyal I think we can expect great things from him in the future."

"It's strange sensei," began Sarutobi, "We both know he wasn't telling the truth about where he came from but I'm not worried about him being a possible spy. I can't explain it, but I just know I can trust him."

"We'll I honestly hope your intuition is correct, in either case you'll be able to keep an eye on him from now on. The first four man squad in Konoha's history, you have your work cut out for you Saru."

* * *

The alarm in Naruto's hotel room went off and without so much as a groan he got up and went into the shower. Spending two and a half years constantly traveling with Jiraiya, he had been woken many times at odd hours in the morning. As such getting up early was no longer problem anymore. 

He briefly entertained the idea of being late again, after trying it once he could see why Kakashi did it so much, it was fun seeing people's reactions to his excuses. But seeing as it would be his first time meeting his team he decided it would be better to make a good impression.

So he got dressed, went out for some breakfast and then began to make his way to training ground seven. He was a bit early so he walked leisurely through Konoha towards his meeting place.

'_It's going to be strange seeing that training ground again without **them**.'_ Naruto mused to himself.

As he arrived at the training ground he froze in shock at what he saw, he had never expected this to happen.

'_Why in the hell didn't I expect this? They were both there when I called Sarutobi oji-san, so it makes sense for them to put me on a team with someone I was familiar with…even if they didn't know how.'_

"Well Naruto, welcome to Team seven."

Sarutobi then introduced him around, he had thought Jiraiya was lying when he told him that Tsunade was flat chested as a Genin, given her future…_development_. But low and behold there she was, flat chested and all.

Naruto was thankful that Orochimaru wasn't very talkative, he had greeted him and said hello, but that was all. It took everything Naruto had to keep his face blank and keep from projecting killer intent at the future Snake Sannin…but he had.

But after he met Orochimaru he noticed that someone was missing.

"Well Naruto it appears you final teammate is la…"

Sarutobi never got to finish his sentence due to a smoke bomb that went off in front of them. Naruto sweat dropped, he knew what was coming next.

Sure enough as the smoke began to clear, he heard a voice…

"Behold, Konoha's greatest shinboi and master of stealth. The one who's supreme manliness and good looks can woo women twice his age. The great Jiraiya-sama has arrived."

'_I can't believe he does things when he's 50 that he used to do when he was 12.'_

Naruto couldn't help but laugh as he looked at his future sensei, sure his unruly white hair was much shorter, as were the red markings under his eyes…but he was still Jiraiya.

'_I wonder if he already peeks at the hot springs at this age…knowing him the answer is probably yes.'_ Though Naruto to himself

"Well new kid I see you've already met Orochimaru and flat chest over he…"

This time it was Jiraiya who didn't get to finish his sentence, courtesy of a punch from Tsunade that planted him on the ground.

"PERVERT! I told you to stop calling me that. It's not my fault I haven't developed yet Jiraiya-baka." Screamed Tsunade.

Unknown to the two of them, but both Sarutobi and Naruto had the same thought going through their head as they watched what was happening in front of them.

'_This is going to be interesting.'_

* * *

**A/N:** Well here is the latest chapter for you guys. I made it a bit longer for you guys, I'm slowly trying to work my way up to about 6-8 thousand words per chapter, so next chapter will be longer than this one & so on. First off let me say that I recently came across information that says that the Sannin were in actuality 6 when they graduated from the academy & Sarutobi was already Hokage. I thought 6 was too young so in my fic they will start off at what I think is the standard Genin age of 12. 

Naruto was a bit emo & introspective here, hopefully it wasn't too much. But I think it was appropriate given his situation…he is all alone & everyone he knew might as well have died as far as he's concerned.

I'm going to be pretty fluent with time in my fic, there is no set period in between chapters: sometimes only hours or days will have passed, sometimes months or years & sometimes no time at all. So if I don't make a specific mention to how old they are or how much time passed in the chapter, I will be sure to do it after.

Next chapter training as well as interaction between the future FOUR Legendary Sannin begins. And yea I know that Sannin doesn't work anymore seeing as they're four of them. Read & Review people…and constructive criticism is always welcome, but Flames are not.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Dragon Sannin**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

**Kyuubi Speech: "speech"**

**Thinking: '**_speech_

**Kyuubi Thoughts: _'speech'_**

* * *

Naruto's first week as a member of Team Sarutobi had been interesting to say the least. Their time had mostly been spent working on D-ranked missions and team building exercises. And did they ever need it; although getting used to a fourth team member was not the problem. Sometimes Naruto couldn't believe that these three bickering children would eventually become the greatest team of shinobi that Konoha would ever produce.

Having only been on the team a little over a week he hadn't gotten to know them particularly well yet…but that would come in time. He did seem to naturally get along with Jiraiya and Tsunade however.

'_I suppose that's natural, even though they're only children I did get to know their future selves pretty well. In a way, I know them better than they know themselves'_ Naruto mused to himself.

Orochimaru however was a different story, Naruto preferred to keep him at arm's length. He knew he wasn't exactly being fair, there was no guarantee that he would become the Orochimaru that Naruto remembered, but for know he couldn't help it.

Every time he looked at him he saw Orochimaru; S-ranked missing nin and Konoha's greatest traitor. There were also times where some of his mannerisms were eerily reminiscent of Sasuke…which struck another nerve.

And then there was Sarutobi, who aside from being 30 years younger was the same kind old man he'd always known. Right down to the way he would look at Naruto and seemed to be able to read him like a book. This would probably explain why he had been paying special attention to him.

'_Not that I blame him, I figured that no matter what I said oji-san would know I was lying.'_

Pushing those thoughts out of his mind, Naruto decided to finish getting ready to go train with his team…after all; he was already 30 minutes late.

* * *

(10 minutes later)

"Damnit Sarutobi-sensei where the hell is he?" screamed a frustrated Jiraiya.

As Sarutobi looked at his other two Genin he could see Orochimaru was visibly frustrated and that if Naruto didn't show up soon, Tsunade might just take her frustration out on Jiraiya. Frankly he could understand where they were coming from, it was impossible not to be frustrated at Naruto when he would do this.

Sarutobi was about to respond to Jiraiya when…

"Yo!" said Naruto like nothing was wrong as he suddenly appeared.

"Where the hell have you been Naruto?" screamed an enraged Tsunade.

Naruto looked at his teammates with a bored expression worthy of Hatake Kakashi before answering, "Sorry I'm late, a group of rogue ninja set the Hokage Tower on fire and I helped to put it out."

Sarutobi and Orochimaru both sighed and shook their heads in disbelief…they were both wondering if he would ever at least try to come up with a plausible excuse.

Jiraiya and Tsunade however…

"LIAR!"

Instead of responding Naruto merely smiled at both of them sheepishly.

"Well now that our entire team is here, what will we be doing today Sarutobi-sensei?" asked Orochimaru who had decided to speak for the first time.

"Hmm…," said Sarutobi to himself as he seemed to be asking himself the same thing, "I thought we would take a break from D-ranked missions and work on an advanced chakra control exercise."

At this point Naruto tuned out Jiraiya complaining about wanting to be taught some 'kick ass jutsus' as well as Sarutobi explaining how chakra control was important to a shinobi. Seeing as they were Genin, if they were going to work on chakra control there was only one exercise they could be doing…

'_Tree climbing'_ thought Naruto to himself smiling as he remembered working himself to exhaustion in the forests of Wave Country.

Suddenly Naruto was pulled from his daydream as Sarutboi threw four kunai onto the ground.

"Each of you pick a tree and use these kunai to mark your progress." Instructed Sarutobi

Orochimaru took his kunai in hand, but before he began climbing he attempted to test exactly how much chakra was needed for him to stick to the tree.

'_He really is a genius'_ thought Naruto as he couldn't help but be impressed by what Orochimaru was doing.

Tsunade got about 10 feet up on her first try before slipping off. Jiraiya on the other hand barely made it five before the bark cracked and he was propelled from the tree.

"Smooth move Jiraiya-baka" taunted Tsunade as he landed on the ground in an unceremonious heap.

Before Jiraiya could respond Orochimaru finally began to climb his tree, and he made it twice as far as Tsunade had before marking his progress as he began to slip.

"Well done Orochimaru and you as well Tsunade. Jiraiya you could stand to learn something from how Orochimaru approached this exercise." Said Sarutobi

At this Jiraiya was fuming

'_It's always Orochimaru this, or Orochimaru that.'_

Suddenly everyone noticed that Naruto had started to climb his tree. He made it about halfway up before he fell, surprising everyone…Sarutobi included.

"That was…very good Naruto." praised Sarutobi as he stared at Naruto intently. He wasn't the only one, the rest of his team was looking at him oddly as well, especially Orochimaru.

'_I suppose he isn't used to being outdone. Well…that's definitely better than I did my first time with this exercise. But judging by the look oji-san is giving me I suppose I did a little too well.'_

"Thanks Sarutobi-sensei" said Naruto while smiling; he wasn't used to getting too much positive attention.

Naruto began to notice that the dynamic between Jiraiya, Orochimaru and Sarutobi was not all that different than that of himself, Sasuke and Kakashi was. With that in mind, he couldn't help but sympathize with Jiraiya a little…so he decided to help him out.

"Not bad for a first try you two, the key is to use the proper amount of chakra," said Naruto to his blond and white haired teammates, "Jiraiya you need to try using less chakra while you on the other hand Tsunade need to use a bit more."

Heeding their teammate's advice, the two got back to work. Tsunade began to gradually improve her progress, but Jiraiya was still struggling…so Naruto decided he might need a little extra motivation.

"You know Jiraiya, the sooner you finish with this tree climbing exercise, the sooner you can go peeping at the hot springs." whispered Naruto into his teammate's ear.

The white haired boy suddenly went stiff, and Naruto was confused because he was sure that would be exactly what Jiraiya needed for motivation. He was about to apologize when Jiraiya turned around, and Naruto saw something that both amused and frightened him.

His teammate had a fire burning in his eyes that was often referred to as the 'Flames of Youth' by a certain pair of green spandex wearing individuals.

'_Geez, I thought only Lee could do that…suppose this proves there really is such a thing. Scary, but at least I won't have to listen to any speeches about the Flames of Youth for a few decades' thought_ the former jinchuuriki with a shudder as he remembered how enthusiastic Lee and Gai could be sometimes.

"Alright let's do it!" yelled a very determined Jiraiya

Naruto couldn't help but laugh, no matter what age beautiful women seemed to be Jiraiya's ultimate motivation in life.

By the time Sarutobi had decided to call it a day he was surprised at the progress his genin had made in only a day. Naruto was about two thirds up his tree while Orochimaru was about halfway up his. But what was surprising was that Jiraiya had actually passed up Tsunade and was only about 10 feet behind Orochimaru.

"You four have done very well with this exercise, in addition to our training I advise you to work on this exercise on your spare time. In addition to improving chakra control it also helps to build your stamina and chakra reserve…"

"Sarutobi-sama!"

Sarutobi didn't get a chance to finish speaking to his Genin; a messenger had came with news of the war: An agreement had been reached to end the war. But it had come at a heavy price: the Nidaime had fallen in battle.

* * *

As Naruto lay on the bed in his apartment his thoughts were erratic, but for the most part he kept thinking about different things that had happened since he'd been in this time. His apartment reminded him of the fact that he had moved in the day that the Nidaime had left for the front lines.

Then his mind drifted to Sarutobi and Tsunade, the Nidaime's death would probably hit the two of them harder than anybody. He was more to those two than just the leader of Konoha: to Sarutobi he was a mentor and a friend, while to Tsunade the man was family.

Thinking about Tsunade had made him remember his first meeting with his new teammates.

* * *

(Flashback)

The three young Genin were looking at their new team member with confusion evident on their face. Genin squads consisted of a jounin sensei and three genin…so why were they getting a fourth?

"Alright team, as you can see we have a new team member. So let's take a moment to introduce ourselves again for his sake. Tell everyone a bit about yourself: likes, dislikes, dreams and hobbies." Said Sarutobi as he looked at Naruto indicating he wanted him to go first.

"Well, my name is Naruto and I like ramen, my dislikes are the three minutes it takes to prepare ramen as well as arrogant people and traitors, my hobbies are training and learning about seals, my dream…"

Naruto had to pause for a moment as he gave that some thought, his dream was to become Hokage…but was that what he still wanted? He had wanted to become Hokage in order to gain acknowledgement from everyone that had looked down on him for being a jinchuuriki, as well as being able to protect those important to him.

But he wasn't a jinchuuriki anymore, so he was in direct control of what people here thought of him. He also didn't know what the consequences would be if he became the Yondaime instead of his father.

"my dream is to be the greatest shinboi in Konoha's history and to be happy."

Sarutobi studied Naruto for a moment, whether he knew it or not his dream had revealed a bit about him. Becoming the greatest shinboi in Konoha's history was a big goal, but the look of determination in his eyes made it hard to doubt him.

What had caught Sarutobi's attention was what he had said after that, it was phrased in a way that made it seem as if he had led a troubled life.

'_Hmm…I wonder what happened to you Naruto.'_

Seeing as Naruto was finished the other blond on their team decided to go next and introduce herself.

"I'm Tsunade, I like my family and I dislike perverts," as this point she sent a glare in Jiraiya's direction, "My hobbies are spending time with my little brother and studying anatomy, my dream is to become a great kunoichi and make my grandfather and granduncle proud."

Naruto couldn't help but notice that she was already starting down the path to becoming a legendary med nin.

"I am the great Jiraiya, I like beautiful women and dislike sticks in the mud like Orochimaru, my hobbies are training and spending time at the hot springs…umm researching. I never really thought much about a dream for the future though.

_Doesn't even write Icha Icha Paradise and he's already calling it research'_

"My name is Orochimaru, I don't particularly like much and I dislike loud, annoying people. My hobbies are training and learning jutsu. And my future goal is to become the greatest ninjutsu user in the shinobi world."

To be the greatest ninjutsu user in the world, it seemed like a good goal, Naruto wondered where along the line it got twisted into the search for immortality.

'_But maybe…it doesn't have to be like last time.'_

(End Flashback)

* * *

Naruto decided to stop reminiscing and go for a walk. He couldn't help but notice how somber the mood around Konoha was. A testament to how much the people were going to miss their Hokage.

'_Nobody had much time to grieve when oji-san died; we all had to focus on rebuilding the village.'_ Thought the blond grimly.

Somehow as he was walking around, Naruto ended up at the hot springs. He felt a familiar chakra distortion that told him that he was not alone.

"You know Jiraiya, the even on days like today the women of Konoha will still put you in the hospital for peeping." said the blond to the nearby wall while smirking.

At first nothing happened but then the figure of a person seemed to emerge from the wall, as this person dropped his camouflage, it was indeed Naruto's white haired teammate.

"How the hell did you know I was here? Nobody has ever detected me while I use this jutsu" asked Jiriaya with a mixture of shock and indignation.

"Well I guess I'm just full of surprises. I'll probably regret asking, but what exactly are you doing here?"

"Well this is a pretty sad time for Konoha, I just decided to come here and err…do some research to clear my head and hopefully cheer up a bit." replied Jiraiya

"I see…so research must be what they're calling being a pervert these days."

"DON'T CALL ME A PERVERT DAMNIT!" screamed Jiraiya without thinking.

Instantly a wave of terror washed over Jiraiya, and Naruto smirked knowing what was coming next. There were sounds of movement and angry women coming from the other side of the wall. At this point Naruto decided to make a quick exit and took to the trees.

'_I don't want to get to far away, then I might miss the show.'_

Before Jiraiya could berate his teammate for abandoning him, he felt an incredible amount of killer intent coming from right behind him. Turning around, he saw a horde of women clad in nothing but bath towels. Jiraiya forgot for a brief moment that these women were about to put him in the hospital and began drooling at the sight.

That only made them angrier.

Hidden perfectly up in the treetops, a certain blond was watching the mob of women beat Jiraiya within an inch of his life. As he sat there he felt a smile creep onto his face, just for a moment while he was talking to Jiraiya and know watching him get beat up by angry women, it felt just like old times.

When the women left Naruto came down from the trees and picked Jiraiya out of the crater the women had just beaten him into. Having one more laugh at his teammate's expense, he then started to make his way towards the hospital.

'_I forget that he's only twelve, he hasn't perfected any of his body hardening techniques yet. Oh well, sooner or later he still had that coming.'_

Jiraiya didn't stay long at the hospital, he only needed to be treated for minor cuts and bruises…well minor for a shinboi. The doctor however was curious, Jiraiya refused to tell anyone how he had gotten injured in the first place.

After Jiraiya had been patched up the two Genin wandered around the village for a while. With Naruto poking fun at Jiraiya's previous situation of course. The two went and ate before deciding to go their separate ways for the night.

* * *

The next morning Naruto woke up and started getting ready for the Nidaime's funeral. He showered, ate, put on his all black shinobi funeral outfit and left the house.

The first thing that Naruto noticed was that unlike with the Sandaime's funeral, it wasn't raining. The whole village came to pay their final respects to their fallen leader. Sarutobi clad in his Hokage robes, along with his former teammates Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura spoke a few words about their ex-sensei.

Tsunade, who was standing next to Naruto was doing her best to keep herself together, but tears were still falling freely from her face. On the other side of her was Nawaki, her five year old brother.

Naruto figured that she and the Nidaime were close, he was her granduncle after all. He put his arm around her and gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile as she turned to look at him. He didn't say anything, he just stood there with his arm around her, hoping it would provide at least a small bit of comfort.

After everyone had dropped a single white flower atop his coffin, the funeral ended. Sarutobi informed his team before they left that they would meet at the usual spot tomorrow to resume their training.

Tsunade's parents took Nawaki and headed off, while Tsunade headed off by herself in the opposite direction. For some reason Naruto felt that she shouldn't be alone, so when he went with her.

Naruto didn't know what to say and figured that Tsunade didn't seem to be in much of a talking mood so the two walked in silence. Apparently Tsunade didn't have a destination she just wasn't quite ready to go home, so the pair just walked around Konoha.

After about half an hour or so Tsunade finally started to head home. When the pair got to her house, Naruto simply said goodbye and gave her a hug before walking off towards his own house.

As he turned the corner he missed Tsunade smile and mouth a silent thank you before heading inside.

* * *

**A/N:** Well finally here is the next chapter, it took a few days longer than I had planned…but as always, life got in the way. Hopefully you guys like the Naruto/Jiraiya & Naruto/Tsunade interaction. I figured that this might be a good point to start building relationships. With that in mind I'm still not sure what I'm going to do with Orochimaru yet. But once I know for sure…you guys will have to wait & see.

As for the behavior of Jiraiya, Tsunade & Orochimaru...well I think Jiraiya & Tsunade are easy; in the manga whenever the two of them are together they act like children anyway. Orochimaru is a bit harder...I picture him more Shino like: silent, never saying more than necessary for the most part. But I also think that there would be times when he shows brief flashes of arrogance similar to Sasuke (he was the number one rookie after all).

Next chapter will be the first action scenes in the story as well as Team Sarutobi's first mission outside of Konoha…its C-rank mission time. I'm not quite sure what it will be, but they definitely will not be going near Wave Country.

As for the question I'm sure will arise…how can Sarutobi be a team sensei and Hokage at the same time? Well I would imagine that Koharu & Homura are capable of handling things whenever Sarutobi is training or out on a mission with his team.

Oh, and please stop telling me that my title for the story is inaccurate…one, you have no idea what I have planned for the future so it could become accurate later & two, it's my story so I can call it whatever I want.

Anyways…read & review everybody.

Ja Ne!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**The Dragon Sannin**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

**Kyuubi Speech: "speech"**

**Thinking: '**_speech_

**Kyuubi Thoughts: _'speech'_**

* * *

The week after the Nidaime's funeral it was business as usual for Team Sarutobi, they resumed their usual schedule of missions and training. With Sarutobi being the Sandaime now, it was difficult for him to balance training his team and running Konoha, so it was not uncommon for him to send a group of **Kage Bunshins** (Shadow Clones) to work with his team whenever he was busy.

It had now been six and a half months since the funeral, and Sarutobi was currently preparing his Genin to enter the Chuunin Exams. There had been one a few weeks after the Nidaime's funeral, but Sarutobi had not allowed his team to enter.

He preferred instead to further develop his team's skills as well as giving them a chance to gain more experience. Jiraiya of course was furious at not being allowed to enter, but he did recognize that having the Hokage for a sensei would make them a huge target.

They didn't need the fact that they were rookies to make it worse; after all, a Genin team entering a Chuunin Exam at the first opportunity was almost unheard of.

And so they were currently finishing up their last training session, tomorrow morning they would be leaving.

"Alright good job you four," said Sarutobi before adopting a serious expression they had only seen a few times from him, "Before you all head home I would like to talk to you."

"What is it Sarutobi-sensei?" asked a curious Orochimaru.

"Well as you know, tomorrow we will be leaving for Kusagakure where the Chuunin Exams will be held."

"Sensei isn't Kusagakure still a relatively new village? Why aren't the exams being held in one of the larger villages?" asked a puzzled Tsunade.

"As you all know recently there has been a great deal of conflict between all of the elemental nations recently. Though the fighting has ceased the hostility between villages is still quite high, and frankly it was a better idea to hold the exams at a smaller, neutral village" explained Sarutobi.

"So basically nobody trusts anybody else right Sarutobi-sensei?" said Naruto

"I suppose that's pretty accurate. Now remember, I want you all to be careful, people have been known to die during these exams. But despite the danger I want you all to try your best."

"Hai sensei!" replied all four Genin simultaneously.

With that all members of Team Sarutobi went their separate ways and went home to prepare for tomorrow.

'_I hope this Chuunin Exams will be less eventful than my first one.'_ Thought the blond haired shinobi.

Ironically the person responsible for all of the trouble during that exam was now a teammate of his.

These were the thoughts on Naruto's mind while he was packing everything he thought he might need for the exam. Given his previous experiences with the Chuunin Exam, he couldn't help but be cautious and pack a little extra of everything.

While he was packing he also wondered what the exams would be like, how strong the other teams would be, and also if he would be promoted to Chuunin.

Across Konoha, thoughts similar to these were also on the minds of his three other teammates.

* * *

Naruto awoke early the next morning and set himself about preparing to leave his apartment. After he had showered, eaten and double checked his supplies he decided to head for the main gate.

'_After all this is pretty important, so I'll do one better than show up on time…I'll be early.'_ thought Naruto with a smirk as he tried to envision the reaction of his teammates.

He arrived at the gate a full 20 minutes early, to notice to only person there was a very surprised looking Orochimaru. Even after all this time he still couldn't get that apprehension regarding the future Snake Sannin out of the back of his head.

But he had resolved a while ago to try and make a serious effort to get to know Orochimaru; after all, it didn't necessarily have to happen the same way as it did before. Suddenly Naruto was pulled from his musings as Orochimaru spoke up.

"I'm surprised to see you here early of all things." Said Orochimaru

"Well what can I say? I like to keep you guys on your toes." Replied a grinning Naruto.

For a brief second Naruto could have sworn he saw a small grin on Orochimaru's face, but a moment later it was gone and he just brushed it off.

A long, uncomfortable silence followed the two boy's brief conversation. This just served to remind Naruto of how far he used to go to keep Orochimaru at arm's length. He also recalled when it was brought to attention that his behavior wasn't just affecting him.

* * *

(Flashback)

"Okay today we are going to pair off and do some sparring, taijutsu only. So Jiraiya you spar with Tsunade and then Orochimaru you will be sparring with Naruto." explained Sarutobi

Jiraiya and Tsunade both glanced at each other briefly before turning to look at Naruto. For some reason Naruto went out of his way to try and have nothing to do with Orochimaru whatsoever. They figured that he would try to get out of working with him.

And sure enough Naruto was about to voice his objections to working with Orochimaru when…

"Damnit I can't take this anymore!" screamed an irate Tsunade, "Naruto I don't know what the hell your problem is with Orochimaru, but get over it. We are a team, the FOUR of us…and it's time you started acting like it."

(End Flashback)

* * *

And just like that, Tsunade had put Naruto in his place. He could have sworn that for a moment he saw Tsunade-baachan yelling at him rather than his teammate. So like a good boy, he had resolved to work on his relationship with Orochimaru.

'_Who would have thought that she could be just as frightening at 12 as she can be at 50.'_ thought Naruto to himself.

"So how do you feel about our chances in the Chuunin Exams Orochimaru?"

"I am not sure, the exams are said to be extremely difficult, especially on a Genin squads first try. But I still expect to do well, even if I do not get promoted." answered Naruto's pale teammate.

Both boys continued to engage in some light conversation about the exams, and when their other teammates arrived they joined in as well. This was the scene that greeted Sarutobi when he finally arrived, all four of his charges discussing the exam.

At seeing all four of them finally starting to bond, he couldn't help but smile.

"Alright, it is time to depart. It is almost a six day journey westward to Kusagakure. The exam however starts in seven, so the quicker we get there the more time there will be for you to rest up," said the Sandaime to his team, "Are you four ready?"

"Hai sensei!"

And with that the five set off westward towards **Kusa no Kuni** (Land of Grass).

* * *

Most of the journey them through Fire Country, which was uneventful for Naruto, during his training with Jiraiya he had been all over Fire Country as well as a few other places. However, he had never been to Kusa, so he was looking forward to seeing what it was like.

So Naruto took particular notice as the landscape began to change. The lush green forests of **Hi no Kuni** (Land of Fire) began to thin out and eventually gave way to open plains that signified the beginnings of Grass country.

After a few more hours Team Sarutobi found themselves traveling through a dense bamboo forest. Naruto paid particular attention due to the fact that he had never quite seen anything like this before. After all bamboo was non existent in Konoha.

"Alright team, if we pick up the pace we can reach** Kusagakure **(Hidden Grass) within the hour." Said Sarutobi as he began speeding up.

And just like that Naruto was pulled from his sightseeing as the team sped onward.

Like their sensei had said, they indeed found themselves at the gates of **Kusagakure** in less than an hour. For Genin who had never been out of Fire Country before, a different hidden village was quite a sight. From what they had seen **Kusa no Kuni** was mostly a mixture between bamboo forests, slighty rocky terrain and of course grassy plains.

The village seemed to be naturally surrounded by a bamboo forest, so for the most part there was no need for the high walls that Konoha boasted. The village itself was smaller than Konoha, but had an entirely different look and feel to it.

If Naruto had to pick one word to describe Kusa, it would be green. For indeed, even within the village itself there was an abundance of plant life; be it grass fields, trees, or other exotic plants. Other than that most of the buildings and shops appeared to be standard, many of the various shops, clan houses and various other structures would not have been out of place in any other shinobi village.

However the one exception to this was their Kage Tower. It was massive, easily the tallest building in the village, which is normal for a shinobi village. But what was unusual was what the tower was constructed of; it seemed to be made of an elegant sort of marble material. Naruto couldn't help but notice that it looked more like a sculpture than where the strongest shinobi of the village spent his time.

As Team Sarutobi continued through the village towards their hotel, each member of the team had their minds on the exam. Naruto exuded somewhat of a focused calm, Orochimaru had schooled a neutral expression onto his face, Jiraiya had on a cocky smirk, but Tsunade seemed a bit troubled.

'_Hmm…it's unusual to see Tsunade like this. I wonder what the problem is?'_ thought Naruto to himself silently.

His time with his new team had given him a much better understanding of women than he had previously possessed at age 12. So he knew it was best to catch Tsunade alone before trying to find out the problem, rather than putting her on the spot in front of everyone.

Naruto decided to keep his mouth shut as they continued on their way.

* * *

After checking in the team proceeded to their rooms. Being the only kunoichi of the group Tsunade had gotten her own room. The addition of Naruto split the boys up as well: Naruto roomed with Jiraiya and Orochimaru was with Sarutobi.

"Before you all go to your rooms I have just a few things to say. First off the Chuunin Exams officially begin tomorrow morning at 9. Here are your entry passes for the exam," said Sarutobi as he handed each of his charges a form of paper.

"That form contains all the necessary information regarding your first exam tomorrow. This is all the information you will be getting for now. Beyond that I would like to remind you that your greatest asset in this exam is teamwork. Good luck to all of you."

And with that Sarutobi made a single seal and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Damn I really need to learn that jutsu," said Jiraiya and Naruto simultaneously.

It was near dinnertime already upon their arrival to the hotel, so the four teammates decided to get some dinner before turning in for the night. Upon Naruto's insistence they ended up at a ramen bar. Where he proceeded to try all the local flavors…all 10 of them.

Both Naruto's teammates and the owner of the ramen stand looked at the increasing pile of empty ramen bowls next to Naruto with a mixture of awe and disgust.

"Naruto how in the hell can you eat so much ramen?" screamed a frustrated and grossed out Jiraiya.

At this Naruto paused from his eating, looked up and responded with a single phrase:

"I just love ramen." Before getting right back to devouring whatever bowl of his favorite food that happened to be in front of him.

"Anyways," continued Jiraiya, "I can't wait for the exams to start tomorrow so the world can bear witness to the amazing skill of the great Jiraiya-sama! Who knows I might even kick your ass pale face."

The only outward sign that Orochimaru had even heard Jiraiya was a twitch above his left eyebrow, signifying his anger.

"It would be unwise to underestimate the other participants of the exam…and besides, it's impossible for me to be defeated by someone as stupid as you Jiraiya-baka." Said Orochimaru

Watching the two of them go back and forth like that Naruto couldn't help but laugh and think how different it was watching this happen from an outsider's perspective.

Naruto briefly turned to his left to notice that his forth teammate was no longer with them. As quietly as he could, Naruto paid for his meal and left the stand to find his wayward teammate.

Luckily Naruto found Tsunade the first place he looked for her…she was standing outside of a local gambling parlor watching all of the action. Once she noticed Naruto she decided to resume walking, this time towards their hotel.

They walked in complete silence; however Naruto was intently watching his teammate and could tell something was troubling her. Once they got inside her room Naruto decided it was time to break the silence.

"So Tsunade, I can tell that something is bothering you, would you like to talk about it?" asked Naruto gently

The two stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, with Naruto simply waiting for Tsunade to explain what was wrong and Tsunade debating whether or not she really wanted to tell him.

She didn't know what it was, but something in those blue eyes of his made Tsunade want to confide in him.

"Well I was just thinking about the Chuunin Exams and…"

* * *

Naruto was now back in his own room. He had spent quite some time talking with Tsunade…longer than wither of them had realized. Not that it bothered him, he enjoyed talking to Tsunade.

He was now attempting to get ready to go to sleep, but for some reason he couldn't explain, he was antsy.

'_I dunno why I can't just get to sleep, this Chuunin Exam is going to be completely normal…well as completely normal as anything in the shinobi world can be. It's not like I have to worry about Orochimaru invading. So why do I get the feeling that something is going to happen during these exams?"_

Doing his best to push these thoughts aside, Naruto soon found himself drifting off to sleep.

He had woken up a bit early the next morning…he was too excited to sleep. Even though this would be his third Chuunin Exam, Naruto still found himself looking towards it.

So he showered, ate, and then went about the business of getting dressed and gathering the equipment he would need today. Naruto slipped out of the room as Jiraiya was just beginning to wake up, and decided to wait for his team in the lobby.

A little less than an hour later, the four members of Team Sarutobi were making there way to where the first portion of the exam would be help. Each of their faces held a look of absolute determination.

Thinking about his team and this exam, Naruto couldn't help but smirk mentally.

'_They'll never know what hit 'em.'_

* * *

**AN:** Well after a LONG three month absence here is the next chapter. Though I never said anything to them, it always upset me when an author wouldn't update for like three months. Now it happened to me & let me say that I can completely understand. So as far as me explaining myself I will simply say…LIFE & leave it at that.

I'm not particularly thrilled with this chapter, it's too short & it doesn't feel right to me. But I find myself unable to do anything else with it so I figured it was time to put it out there.

For anyone wondering this marks the last of the 'introductory' chapter to the story I suppose you could say. The Chuunin Exams will contain various fighting and action sequences (finally right?).

I hope everyone noticed that little ode to one of Tsunade's only vices…gambling. Also I skipped the conversation between Naruto & Tsunade but it will come into play later…so you will eventually find out what was said.

Unfortunately my next update might be a while, this whole Chuunin Exam arc requires some advance planning. I need original exams, OC's & other things…basically it will require advance planning, which is something I don't usually do when I write. So bear with me.

Also…NO MORE MESSAGES SAYING THAT THE TITLE OF THE STORY IS INCORRECT, IT'S MY STORY DAMNIT.

Sorry, I had to throw that in there. Anyways hope you enjoy…read & review folks.

Ja Ne!


	5. Chapter 5

**The Dragon Sannin**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

**Kyuubi Speech: "speech"**

**Thinking: **'_speech'_

**Kyuubi Thoughts: _'speech'_**

* * *

It wasn't nearly as impressive the third time around

That was what Naruto couldn't help but think looking around at the assembled Genin. He noticed that most of the Genin were sending some pretty hostile glares in Team Sarutobi's direction.

'_I guess being personally trained by the Hokage as well as being the only team with a fourth Genin paints a pretty big bulls eye on our backs...lucky us'_ thought Naruto dryly.

Meanwhile the rest of Naruto's team was doing their best to mask any apprehension the might have been feeling upon seeing how hostile everyone seemed to be towards them. Although Orochimaru and Jiraiya were doing a better job than Tsunade. Her refusal to show any weakness was the only thing to keep her from shivering at the multitude of glares upon them.

As Team Sarutobi headed towards an unoccupied corner of the room, they never noticed a team from both Iwa and Kiri paying them particular attention.

"So that's the Hokage's team huh?" asked one of the Kiri Genin, who had black hair tied into a ponytail.

"Yea but they don't look like much," replied one of his teammates, a brown haired kunoichi.

Before the last of the Kiri team, a blue haired nin could agree with his teammate, he was interrupted.

"You Kiri-nin would do well not to underestimate anyone trained by the "God of Shinobi," came a voice from right next to the Kiri team which belonged to an Iwa nin with long silver hair and a muscular build.

"They are no doubt quite skilled, especially that blond boy."

While the Iwa nin was speaking, his eyes never left Naruto.

As they waited for their proctors, Tsunade couldn't help but state the obvious, "Does anybody get the feeling that people here are paying us particular attention?"

"I suppose that with us being the students of the Hokage our reputation precedes us," said Orochimaru in the calm and collected monotones he had become famous for, "Being able to say you defeated the students of the Hokage would make quite the accomplishment."

"Yea, either that or people are all bent out of shape seeing as we're a team of four." stated Jiraiya.

'_Well either way it looks like almost everyone is just itching to take a shot at us,'_ thought Tsuande to herself.

Suddenly Tsunade noticed a comforting hand on her shoulder, turning around she noticed the smiling face of her fellow blond haired team mate.

"Don't worry Tsunade, we're gonna do just fine." said Naruto encouragingly.

For some reason that she couldn't quite fathom right then, that one simple statement from Naruto seemed to completely renew her confidence.

"Thank you Naruto-kun," said Tsunade

As soon as the words left her mouth she immediately realized that she had indeed just said that aloud. It was at this point that her face took on an interesting shade of cherry red. As if her neck had a will of its own, she raised her head to chance a look at her team mates.

Naruto and Orochimaru kept whatever was on their minds at that moment to themselves merely responding with raised eyebrows...unfortunately Jiraiya wasn't as gracious.

"Oh-ho Naruto-kun now is it? I had no idea that you two were already on such _friendly_ terms." joked Jiraiya while grinning lecherously.

Tsunade quickly snapped out of her embarrassment and handed Jiraiya a one-way ticket to the floor.

'_Fool'_ thought Orochimaru

'_No matter what I suppose Ero-Sennin will always be a baka.'_ thought Naruto as he shook his head in exasperation.

It was at this moment that the Chuunin Exam proctors arrived.

The head proctor was for the most part unassuming, save for a horizontal scar on his face that ran cheek to cheek.

"Welcome to Kusagakure's Chuunin Exam, I will be your head proctor for this stage of the exam. When your team is called follow your respective proctor to your team's assigned meeting room. Once you arrive, your exam will begin," explained the Kusa nin curtly.

One by one exam proctors would call out a team and then lead them up one floor to their meeting room. After about half of the teams had been called...

"Team Sarutobi from Konoha, please follow me," said a female Kusa Chuunin.

* * *

Wordlessly four genin stood up and followed the proctor who had called them up to the next floor of the building they were in. This floor consisted of what looked to be mostly offices.

Soon after the members of Team Sarutobi found themselves in a small room that had been made to resemble a mission planning area.

"I will be your proctor for this portion of the exam, you may refer to me as Taka." stated the woman.

"Well Taka-san what are our instructions for the first exam?" asked Orochimaru

Before answering Taka pulled a scroll from her pouch and summoned a folder of documents from within it.

"This year the initial stage of the Chuunin Exam will be a 'mock' mission of sorts. Your team is charged with the retrieval of vital documents from a secure location. This folder contains all necessary information regarding your mission. I will remain in the room to answer any questions you may have. You have two hours to plan out your mission beginning now."

And with that Taka handed the Genin the folder of documents and let them get to work. Going through the documents it was stated that the exam would take place near the northeastern section of Grass Country near the border to Earth Country. Simply put, they had to make their way to an outpost roughly 10 km from their starting position and retrieve a document.

In actuality however it was much more complicated. For one thing they weren't the only team to be assigned to retrieve a document, and there only a limited number. Secondly not all the teams were assigned to retrieve a document; some were assigned to secure the compound and the surrounding area.

After about 30 minutes of reviewing the information given to them Jiraiya was the first to speak, "Damn this could be tricky, not only do we have to get to our destination within the deadline, but we also have to get there quick enough to make sure we get a document as well as avoid the other teams trying to stop us."

Glancing at the map of the area they were given Orochimaru suddenly had an idea.

"Taka-san, would it be acceptable if we made individual copies of the map for ourselves?"

"Hai, that is allowed," replied Taka as she fought to keep the grin off of her face.

Tsunade, Jiraiya and Orochimaru went to start copying the map onto a spare scroll, Naruto however thought to adopt a different approach. before any of his teammates could ask why he wasn't copying the map he stood up and made a single, cross shaped seal.

"**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** (Shadow Clone Technique)"

As four clones of Naruto suddenly came into existence and set themselves to the task of making copies of the map, four people had to pick their jaws up off the floor. After all a Genin shouldn't be capable of making **Kage Bunshins **(Shadow Clones).

'_Well, this group is definitely full of surprises,'_ thought Taka.

The Naruto's ignored the shock of their teammates and continued copying the map.

Once the maps were finished, the remainder of the team's time was spent going over strategy: They decided to get to the compound as quickly as possible, avoiding combat whenever possible. Since there was no way of knowing how well guarded the compound would be they decided to plan their infiltration once they got there. The final thing they did before time was up was discuss what to do in the event they became separated.

It was at this point that Taka once again made her presence known, "Well your two hours is up...Congratulations on passing the first exam!" she exclaimed cheerfully.

Shock was evident on the faces of Tsunade, Jiraiya and Orochimaru, Naruto however was facing away from everyone so nobody could see his face. Suddenly he began to laugh, "Well damn, why didn't I think of that?" he said to himself.

"What the hell is so funny? And what do you mean we just passed the first exam? The first exam is what we just spent two hours planning." said Jiraiya with an irate tone, obviously not appreciating being left out of the loop.

"Chuunin are expected to be able to effectively lead a squad of shinobi thus making you responsible for the lives of your teammates. Not only must you be able to effectively lead a mission, you must also effectively plan for a mission. Those who foolhardily charge into situations unprepared will end up getting themselves or their comrades killed. Trash like that are not fit to become Chuunin," explained Taka

"Remember what the head proctor told us at the meeting room? He said the exam would begin as soon as we were separated," stated Naruto in an amused tone of voice.

"And indeed it did, but even though you didn't know you were being tested you passed with flying colors. You all have the rest of the day off, meet at the area indicated on the map tomorrow at 10am to begin the second exam. And again congratulations on passing the first exam," said Taka before unlocking the room and letting everyone file out.

As the Konoha genin left to enjoy the rest of their day and prepare for tomorrow Taka couldn't help but be impressed, the team of the Hokage had passed with flying colors.

'_Those four are something else, I get the feeling one day the whole shinobi world will know their names,'_ she thought to herself with a smile before leaving.

* * *

"Alright! We kicked ass on the first exam," yelled an enthusiastic Jiraiya, pleased with his team's recent success.

Said team of genin was currently walking through the streets of Kusa, both enjoying the rest of their day as well as trying to find their sensei. After all Sarutobi would definitely be interested in knowing how his team performed.

However one of them decided to voice something that had been on their minds since the exam.

"Naruto," began Orochimaru, drawing the attention of his teammates, "when did you learn **Kage Bunshin** (Shadow Clone)?"

Suddenly Tsunade and Jiraiya had their eyes on their two other teammates, for they too had been wondering where Naruto had learned such an advanced skill.

As Naruto looked at Orochimaru he noticed he had the same look in his eyes that he had when they did the tree climbing exercise all those months ago. A mixture of curiosity with a slight twinge of jealousy. A look that surprisingly, his teammates were mirroring.

'_Crap,'_ thought Naruto to himself, _"I should have known they wouldn't just let that drop. Looks like they think oji-san been showing me a few things on the side. Well that's not the case...but then again I learned it after stealing the forbidden scroll almost 40 years from now won't fly either.'_

"Sarutobi-sensei and I haven't been training in secret if that's what any of you are thinking," at this the features of his teammates softened slightly, "But where I did learn it is a secret."

Naruto suddenly took a turn down a mostly deserted street, and though slightly confused as to where he was going his team followed anyways.

Tsunade and Jiraiya seemed to accept that they weren't going to get anything more out of him. Orochimaru on the other hand was about to question Naruto further when the blond in question stopped moving and turned around.

"You might as well come out now."

Suddenly three blurs jumped down and landed in front of Naruto and his team.

He recognized them as the team from Kiri without even needing to look at their hitai-ite.

At the sudden appearance of 'enemy' genin from another village, Tsunade and Jiraiya pulled out kunai and assumed defensive positions. Orochimaru and Naruto on the other hand didn't appear to be threatened by these newcomers at all...at least to the untrained eye.

"Well well, are all you Konoha nin this jumpy?" spoke the tallest of the trio. A blue haired boy who held a sheathed katana in his left hand.

"Why don't you tell us whatever it is you came here to say and stop following us around." said Tsunade

This blue haired nin from before spoke again, "Very well Tsunade, I suppose it's only prudent for us to get to the point of our visit."

This statement earned raised eyebrows from Team Sarutobi.

"I suppose we shouldn't be surprised that you know of us," spoke Orochimaru, "After all most shinobi would want to keep an eye on any shinobi trained by the Kage of another village."

It was at this point that the lone female on the Kiri team spoke, "Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru and Naruto: students of Sarutobi the Sandaime Hokage aka the Professor or God of Shinboi. We came here to tell you that you four will be our targets for this exam...we will defeat you."

Throughout this whole meeting, the third member of the team from Kiri, a boy with black hair tied into a ponytail, who had two wakizashi sheathed on his lower back never took his eyes off Naruto.

And to be honest he was starting to get a bit annoyed.

"You look like you have something you want to say to me," said Naruto.

"My name is Kenkaku Teishu, I look forward to testing my abilities against you Naruto." said the boy who called himself Teishu.

Naruto noticed that a thick mist began to form on the street they were on, and when it cleared the team from Kiri was gone.

'_That Teishu guy reminds me of Itachi, and that can't possibly be a good thing.'_

With their unexpected visitors gone, Team Sarutobi decided to continue on their way.

They had barely been walking for a few minutes when Naruto's stomach decided to make its presence known.

As Naruto's stomach grumbling drew the attention of his entire team he simply put his hand behind his head and smiled sheepishly, "Anyone want to join me for some ramen?"

At this point Tsunade, Jiraiya and Orochimaru sweat dropped before walking off, leaving Naruto to seek out his favorite meal on his own.

'_I take that as a no.'_

* * *

Eight bowls of ramen later Naruto decided to call it quits, but rather than return to his hotel he decided to continue walking around Kusa. After a little while he found himself in what he concluded must have been a training area.

The sun was just beginning to set and for some reason he couldn't explain, Naruto felt compelled to watch it. Suddenly Naruto looked behind him and threw a kunai into the bushes.

"You know I'm getting real sick of people following me around today" he said in an annoyed tone.

From the bushes emerged a boy with long silver hair and a muscular build. Naruto identified him as an Iwa nin from the hitai-ite around his neck; he also noted this mysterious nin had caught his kunai in between two fingers.

"I apologize for following you all day, I was simply waiting to catch you alone before introducing myself," said the boy in a cheerful tone, "My name is Hayubashi Toushiro, it's a pleasure to meet you Kazama Naruto."

With his introduction he extended his hand, which Naruto shook.

"Well, you already seem to know who I am" said Naruto with a smirk

"Oh indeed I do, and now that the introductions have been made I'll be taking my leave. The next time we meet I'm going to kill you." said Toushiro with a smile on his face.

"Will you now? Might I ask why you want me dead?"

"Certainly, I believe that aside from myself you might be the strongest genin in this exam," Toushiro continued to speak in the same cheerful tone, "Thus I want to fight you and when we do I am going to kill you."

"I see," said Naruto, "You like to fight the toughest competition. Well you seem very sure you will defeat me, it might not be that easy."

Toushiro suddenly threw Naruto's kunai back at him; Naruto caught it with a finger through the ring at the end...centimeters from striking his eye.

At this Toushiro smiled even wider, "Oh I definitely don't expect it to be easy Naruto; in fact I hope it will be quite the opposite. After all easy kills are never satisfying. Ja Ne!"

After saying his farewell, Toushiro performed **Shunshin **(Body Flicker) leaving Naruto once again by himself.

'_Looks like a lot of people are interested in fighting me...this should be fun.'_ thought Naruto to himself as he decided to return to his hotel and get some sleep, after all it was a big day tomorrow.

* * *

(The Next Day: 2nd Exam Starting Area)

As Team Sarutobi arrived at their starting point they saw Taka waiting to greet them

"Well you four are here early, that's good now we can get started. As you know you are the only team with four members, so there will be a slight change in the parameters of your exam."

Instantly the four genin were a bit wary, especially Naruto, he didn't like where he thought this was going.

But it was Jiraiya that spoke up, "What do you mean a slight change?"

At this a sadistic smirk appeared on Taka's face that reminded Naruto way too much of one Mitarashi Anko, "Well you four are going to be separated and will have to find your missing team members before proceeding with your mission."

Suddenly two Kusa jounin appeared out of thin air, grabbed Naruto, and **Shunshin'd** (Body Flicker) away to an unknown location.

Before any of the three remaining team members could make any sort of protest, Taka tossed them a scroll, "That's another map that shows the general area where Naruto is now located, and he's been given one to show your location. Your second exam starts now...have fun guys." said Taka cheerfully before vanishing.

* * *

(As of Yet Unknown Location)

The two jounin that had abducted him had just given Naruto a similar speech to the one Taka had given his teammates before vanishing. As Naruto looked around the mountain range where he had been 'dropped off' he had only one thought:

'_Well isn't this just my luck.'_

* * *

**A/N:** Well after...basically the entire summer here's Chapter 5 (I know...finally right?). The Chuunin Exam has begun, I tried to make to be somewhat original in coming up with my own exam...hopefully it's okay. The 2nd exam might seem to be similar to the one from canon, but it will be different also. The team getting separated is my way of compensating for them having four members...honestly it's the best I could do & I didn't just want to ignore that fact.

I've got some nice fights (among other things) planned for this exam, which will begin in the next chapter. So those of you who have been waiting for some action...it's coming in Ch. 6.

Also the names of Naruto's parents have been revealed in the manga & that will be taken into account in this story. I can't call him Uzumaki Naruto due to his mother (**Uzu no Kuni-**Whirlpool Country is still around here & I get the feeling that the Uzumaki might have been important in that country). So likewise Namikaze Naruto is out also as that would create problems in about 20 years or so when Minato is introduced. So what I'm going to do is use the fanfiction name of Kazama and have Naruto go by that. So previous chapters will be changed to take that into account.

Anyways here it is: enjoy, read & review

Ja Ne!


	6. Chapter 6

**The Dragon Sannin**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

**Kyuubi Speech: "speech"**

**Thinking: **'_speech'_

**Kyuubi Thoughts: _'speech'_**

* * *

After being held back for a year by their sensei from participating in the Chuunin Exams, Team Sarutobi could honestly say they were excited about finally being allowed to participate. Because in hindsight they could honestly say that the extra year of missions and training had been invaluable. 

From the moment they arrived each member of the team could tell that they were above most of the other teams skill wise. Add to that the fact that they had one more teammate then everyone else…and they were feeling pretty sure of themselves.

At least until the Second Exam…

Team Sarutobi had been separated, not only did they have to complete their task but they also had to do it as a complete team…meaning they had to find Naruto.

And this is precisely what the blonde's three remaining teammates were trying to do, leaping through the trees, searching for their fourth team member.

"Damnit where the hell is Naruto?" screamed an irate Jiraiya.

The map they had been given after Naruto had been separated from them showed the general area in which he would be placed. He was near the Iwa/Kusa border to the north, which unfortunately was the complete opposite direction of their destination, which was closer to the border Kusa shared with Ame in the south. Luckily it was not more than half a day out of their way.

"I told you we should have waited to let him find us rather than the other way around." Stated Orochimaru.

"We had to try Orochimaru, we couldn't just leave him out here by himself and wait for him to run into us." Said Tsunade with a frown.

"He can take care of himself, but that isn't important. Like we said, if we can't find him by sundown then we'll start moving towards where the documents we need are located. No matter what he knows that we all have to be there to complete this exam."

Tsunade was about to berate Orochimaru for seeming so cold when Jiraiya spoke up," Hate to burst your bubble Tsunade but pale face is right," said Jiraiya, earning himself a glare from Orochimaru, "All we're going to do by searching aimlessly is waste time."

"Well it looks like I'm outnumbered, but it doesn't make much sense to search aimlessly hoping we got lucky. I'm just worried about him." said the granddaughter of the first Hokage.

Both of her remaining teammates nodded in agreement, and with that the three turned to head the opposite direction, unaware of the eyes watching them from the shadows.

While the other members of Team Sarutobi had decided to abandon their search, Naruto was descending a mountain range. He wondered (not for the first time) what would happened if he tried to summon a toad to take him down these mountains.

'_Just my luck, they just had to separate me from them…I just hope they aren't wasting any time searching for me'_ thought the blond to himself.

As Naruto looked below him he noticed, to his dismay that he had hardly made any progress in descending the mountain he was on. Memories of Jiraiya throwing him down a ravine to 'motivate' him to summon properly, kept popping into his head. And thus he was somewhat apprehensive about leaping down the mountain, due to him not being sure he would be able to use chakra to stick to the mountain.

But then again, when had Uzumaki or rather Kazama Naruto ever played it safe?

And with that the potential Konoha Chuunin gathered chakra to the soles of his feet, and leapt downwards.

* * *

Orochimaru was uneasy, ever since they had abandoned searching for Naruto in favor of heading towards their objective, he had the feeling they were being watched. As he looked on either side of him he saw that both of his teammates noticed as well. 

'_Even that fool Jiraiya has noticed. I suppose all of that ridiculous peeping serves some purpose.'_ thought Orochimaru to himself

They had been stalking their prey for hours, and had thus far remained undetected. As the Konoha genin stopped for the day, his team decided it was time to strike.

Just a few more minutes and the Sandaime Hokage's precious genin team would be no more than corpses.

* * *

Team Sarutobi was gathered around a fire eating field rations in relative silence. After all it had been a very trying day so far with being separated as well as being of two minds of whether it would be better to locate Naruto or move towards their objective to increase their chances of running into Naruto. As they sat there they never noticed the three shadows moving silently into position to strike them all down simultaneously. 

One of the hidden assailants could hardly believe it, these Konoha nin were completely inept. Sneaking up on them was turning out easier than basic academy training, it was almost enough to make him think about attacking from the front, so he could look into their eyes as they died.

But there was no need to be reckless, sorry excuses for shinobi such as this didn't deserve to see the faces of those killing them.

'_So much for being trained by the God of Shinobi himself…but what should one expect from tree-hugging Konoha nin.'_

And with that, three sets of kunai and shuriken struck Orochimaru, Tsunade and Jiraiya simultaneously…and also as one, where there were once three Konoha nin, there were now only three logs in their place.

Before the three thought to be unknown attackers were able to verbalize their surprise, they caught the sound of three exploding tags just in time to react before they were blown to bits.

As the debris from the explosion cleared, the trio of now revealed Suna genin found themselves slightly worse for wear, but still in one piece.

"You really shouldn't have underestimated us like that" came a decidedly feminine voice from above.

Looking up to the tree line, the team from Suna spotted Tsunade and Orochimaru leaning casually up against a tree.

"Hey wait a minute, where the hell is the-URgh!"

The supposed leader of the Suna trio, a non descript older boy with short, brown hair never got the chance to finish his question. Because at that moment Jiraiya appeared out of thin air, putting a kunai into his shoulder, while throwing two others at his teammates…which were dodged.

Jiraiya smirked at his wounded opponent before forming a hand seal and vanishing into thin air. All of the Suna team jump back and assume a guard position, frantically trying to locate Jiraiya before he strikes again.

Suddenly, someone threw a smoke bomb, and from within the smoke…

"Behold the unbeatable, ultimate stealth peeping technique: **Toton no Jutsu-**Transparent Escape Technique! Now prepare yourselves for defeat by the shinobi with no equal in all of the shinobi nations, The great Jiraiya-sama!"

The moment the smoke had cleared, everyone in the clearing saw Jiraiya in what all thought was the most ridiculous looking pose ever. Picking up on the fact that nobody seemed to be impressed, Jiraiya adopted a fighting stance as his two teammates dropped down next to him.

The Suna trio cursed their luck, they had assumed that Team Sarutobi were nothing more than a bunch of spoiled brats playing at being ninja. They had completely ignored the fact that the Sandaime Hokage was widely regarded as the greatest shinobi alive, so any students of his would no doubt be skilled.

Underestimating them had resulted in one of their teammates without the use of an arm, creating a serious mismatch.

Both team stood across from each other, but nobody made a move. Suddenly the members of Team Sarutobi shot forward to engage their attackers, in hopes of creating enough distance between to separate their opponents from their teammates.

Jiraiya was able to separate the Suna genin he had already injured from his two teammates, but Orochimaru and Tsunade were unsuccessful in that regard.

* * *

**(With Jiraiya)**

'_How could I have been hurt by this white haired idiot?'_

This was the thought that went through the head of the injured Suna genin as he dodged a series of punches and kicks courtesy of Jiraiya. Suddenly one of Jiraiya's punches snuck through his guard to connect with his jaw and send him tumbling across the ground.

The white haired Konoha nin seized the opportunity to flash through a set of handseals, before taking a deep breath.

"**Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu** (Great Fireball Technique)"

Seeing a giant fireball heading his way, the Suna nin wisely decided to dodge. The kunai still lodged into his shoulder didn't completely render his arm useless, but it was bad enough to where he couldn't possibly hope to trade ninjutsus with his opponent.

What he needed was a distraction.

In a flash of inspiration he pulled the kunai from his should and threw it in between himself and his opponent, with an explosive tag around the hilt. It wasn't close enough to Jiraiya to cause damage, even if he hadn't noticed at the last moment, but it did give him the distraction he was waiting for.

'_Damnit, what the hell is he up to?'_ wondered the yet to be toad summoner. Jiraiya was no berating himself for not pressing his advantage, with his opponents arm as injured as it was he couldn't hope to use ninjutsu effectively in combat. He would need extra time to form handseals due to his injured arm.

Time that Jiraiya gave him by messing around.

Suddenly Jiraiya leapt away as he sensed an incoming presence on his left side. As the debris finally cleared he noticed that indeed the explosion had given his opponent the necessary time to form handseals.

"**Kaze no Yaiba** (Sword of Wind)**"** was all the Suna nin said before he charged.

Being on the defensive, Jiraiya now noticed that his opponent was a lot faster than he thought. Knowing he couldn't dodge forever, because he would eventually get caught and then cleaved in two, Jiraiya desperately wracked his brain for a way to defeat the trademark Suna technique.

The Suna genin over extended on one of his slashes, giving Jiraiya an opportunity to create some distance courtesy of a crushing punch to the face. He wasted no time forming handseals and was already launching his technique before his opponent had even recovered.

"**Katon: Housenka no Jutsu** (Mythical Fire Phoenix Technique)**"**

Unlike before, this fire technique created a number of smaller fireballs, which the Suna nin was hard pressed to dodge being caught off balance. Unfortunately one fireball managed to connect with the very hand he held his own technique in.

And Fuuton techniques feed Katon techniques.

His entire right arm erupted in flame as he let out an earsplitting shriek, while he attempted to heap dirt onto his arm in an effort to douse the flames. While he succeeded, the damage was already done, as his entire arm was charred black.

But he had little time to worry about his arm, as Jiraiya delivered a crushing blow to the back of his head that sent him into unconsciousness.

Jiraiya spared his downed opponent one final glance, before rushing off to assist his teammates.

* * *

**(With Tsuande and Orochimaru)**

Jiraiya's teammates were having a slightly more difficult time in dealing with their opponents, who were highly skilled at working in tandem. Tsunade and Orochimaru on the other hand were not, for some strange reason both Tsunade and Jiraiya worked together flawlessly with Naruto rather than Orochimaru, even though they had only known Naruto for about a year.

On the other hand from the moment Team Sarutobi had been formed, Orochimaru had been labeled the prodigy. That revelation tended to inflate his ego at times and make him difficult to work with.

With the addition of Naruto to the team Orochimaru had become the fourth wheel so to speak. It was a startling revelation on Tsunade's part, one she resolved to work on fixing as soon as possible.

'_That is if we ever make it out of here.'_ Thought Tsuande to herself as both she and Orochimaru picked themselves off the ground.

"So this is all the prized team of the Sandaime Hokage is capable of, what a disappointment."

"Well what did you expect from two brats and a girl?" taunted the two Suna genin.

Tsunade clenched her fists in anger; she hated this, being looked down on for being a kunoichi. Unfortunately it was a common attitude that men made better shinobi, one that she desperately wanted to change.

"Got any ideas Orochimaru?" she asked her teammate.

Meanwhile said genin was in the process coming up with a strategy by going over what their opponents had displayed so far. Both nin did their country of origin proud by being adept at **Fuuton** (Wind) jutsus, but one was also good at genjutsu, enabling him to use genjutsu from a distance as support while his teammate attacked from mid to close range with ninjutsu and taijutsu.

Ideally if either himself or Tsunade could engage the shinobi talented in genjutsu at close range he would be unable to support his teammate, but unfortunately area affecting **Fuuton** techniques were good for keeping people at a distance.

Suddenly, a plan began to form.

"Tsunade I need you to disable the nin casting the support ninjutsu," said Orochimaru as he motioned to the Suna nin farthest from them, "I'll give you an opportunity to get close, just make sure you get it done."

"Sounds good to me, I take it you'll handle the other one?"

To this question Orochimaru merely nodded and started to form seals before shouting out

"**Fuuton: Daitoppa** (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)**"**

The massive burst of wind that shot forth was easily avoided being the Suna genin recognized the technique, and moved just in time. But it also kicked up quite a bit of dust, providing Tsunade and Orochimaru excellent cover to sneak up on their opponents, effectively cutting them off from each other.

As is common with genjutsu users, taijutsu is frequently their weak point, which was unfortunate for the Suna genin currently facing Tsunade. Not only was she exceptionally gifted in taijutsu, she was a LOT stronger than she looked. And she was systematically beating the crap out of him.

In a desperation move, he attempted to create some distance between the two of them so he could hide under a genjutsu. Suddenly Tsunade seemed to just appear behind him, and sent him crashing to the ground due to a swift chop to the back of the neck.

When he tried to stand, the Suna nin discovered that his body did not seem to want to respond the way he was telling it to.

"What the hell did you do to me?" he asked Tsunade in a tone that was a combination of anger and fear.

"You have become the first proud success of my first original technique **Ranshinshou** (Chaotic Mental Collision), I converted my chakra to electricity and used it to disrupt your nervous system…you won't be able to move properly for hours." Stated Tsunade with a barely concealed hint of pride.

Tsunade then moved to restrain her downed opponent, but as she drew out ninja wire to bind his arms and legs, the Suna genin decided to be a sore loser.

"Undo whatever it is you just did to me you stupid flat-chested bitch!"

The minute the words left his mouth, he felt a malevolent aura descend upon him that made it difficult to breathe; he had never felt anything so terrifying in his entire life. As he looked up to meet Tsunade's eyes, he thought that just maybe he had made a mistake.

* * *

Meanwhile Orochimaru was just about to finish his opponent when the bound form of the Suna nin Tsunade had been fighting flew through the air and landed at his feet. The nin had two black eyes, a broken nose and was missing a large number of teeth. 

'_Must have said something to upset her like that idiot Jiraiya usually does'_ mused Orochimaru to himself.

The sight of the beaten form of his teammate cause the last Suna nin to take his eyes off of Orochimaru for a moment, but that was all that he needed. He soon found himself bound by Orochimaru's arms even though the rest of him was a good eight feet away.

"Looks like you're done too Orochimaru," came the voice of Tsunade from behind him, "Knock him out so we can find Jiraiya and get moving."

At this a sinister grin formed on the face of Orochimaru before he answered, "Not before he gets taught a lesson."

Suddenly Orochimaru extended his head and neck over to his opponent and bit down between his neck and shoulder. The Suna nin screamed in agony before he dropped like a puppet with his strings cut before succumbing to unconsciousness.

"What the hell was that? All you needed to do was knock him unconscious." Asked an irate Tsunade

"Nothing much, just a variant of **Doku Kiri** (Poison Mist Technique) that I've been working on for a while now." Stated Orochimaru as if he didn't have a care in the world.

"You poisoned him like a snake would," came the voice of Jiraiya as he dropped in from the trees above, "that freaky neck stretching thing was just plain disgusting."

"Let's get moving" said Orochimaru before he took of into the treetops.

His teammates took one last look at Orochimaru's poisoned opponent before following suit.

* * *

Meanwhile Naruto was making far more progress getting out of the mountain range he was on. The end of the range was in sight, a few more hours and he would be on flat, solid ground. 

'_Although getting out of this mountain range will end up taking a bit longer than I had thought, I'm going to have to pick up the pace if I want to find everyone and complete this exam.' _Thought the blond to himself.

"Stupid future memory of Jiraiya pushing me off the edge of a cliff" grumbled Naruto.

Unfortunately the rocks Naruto had just landed on were unstable, and gave way the minute he landed upon them, revealing the hole they had been covering. As it caught him by surprise, Naruto was unable to stop himself from falling in.

Luckily the drop was not steep enough to cause any serious injury or to knock him unconscious, it was simply rather painful. Somehow the hole he had fallen into had managed to cover itself with rocks again, leaving him trapped.

"Great, not what the hell am I supposed to do?" said Naruto as he picked himself up from the floor and noticed he could not climb out the same way he fell in.

Strangely enough there were torches in the cavern that sprang to life at that exact moment, and as Naruto looked around trying to figure out where the torches came from, he noticed what looked to be a cave entrance. With nowhere else to go he decided to see where the cave led.

The cave entrance led to a path that only went straight forward, as he walked through the cave the torches dimmed. They never went out, but the light level reminded Naruto of the hallway he always went down in his mindscape to get where the Kyuubi was caged.

Nearing the end of the hallway the lights continued to dim even further, and before he was once again in darkness the former jinchuuriki could make out he was about to step into another large cave.

As he did so he could immediately tell that he was not alone, but he could also tell that whatever else was in here was not threatening. He got the impression he was being watched, or rather evaluated.

As he wondered what could possibly be alive down here a voice spoke out, **"Welcome, he who once contained the Kyuubi."**

Before Naruto could wonder how whatever was here in this cave knew that, torches once again seemed to light on their own. And Naruto found himself staring up at something that he had though could not possibly exist.

Naruto found himself staring up at a dragon.

**"Welcome young one,"** spoke the dragon in a wise tone,**" You are to become our summoner."**

* * *

**A/N:** Well here it finally is the next chapter. I'm not going to explain why this update has been such a long time coming…because I don't see the need to other than to say real life takes precedence over fan fiction. I said I would not abandon any of my three fics & I still mean that. 

There were a few minor combat scenes here, although not exactly full on fight scenes…but I intended it to be that way. For full on fight sequences people are going to have to wait until the final stage of the exam. But you did get an attack from Tsunade that people should be familiar with, as well as a brief flash of the Orochimaru we all know & hate. I still have not decided which way Orochimaru will go, but like Saruotbi said, even when he was a boy the signs were there.

Next chapter will be mostly about Naruto working to gain the favor of the dragons. And as I said before Kazama Naruto will be the name our hero will now go by, seeing as he can't use Namikaze or Uzumaki for obvious reasons.

I'm not too happy with this chapter, but I notice a lot of writer's say that when they update for the first time in a long while…hopefully you all will enjoy it though.

Ja Ne!


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